Tuesday, October 28, 2025
On Saturday, Oct. 18, Milwaukee Recreation youth sports supervisor Gianna Holschbach was recognized by the Urban Learning Collaborative with the 'Rising Star' award.
The Urban Learning Collaborative (formerly Milwaukee Teacher Education Center) is a non-profit professional development center that was founded in 1996. The 'Rising Star' award "recognizes an emerging leader whose contributions and growing responsibility expand their sphere of influence across the profession." The event was hosted at Saint Kate - The Arts Hotel in downtown Milwaukee.
Holschbach joined Milwaukee Recreation in April 2025 and has already made an impact on the department's youth sports programming, especially the citywide school-based soccer leagues.
"Gianna is a fast learner, a clear and effective communicator, and has quickly become an invaluable member of our team," Milwaukee Recreation's youth sports manager Alex Brown said. "Her leadership and attention to detail have helped the program run smoothly and efficiently, and her positive attitude has made her a pleasure to work with."
Prior to joining Milwaukee Recreation, Holschbach worked as a bilingual admissions counselor and scholarship coordinator at Mount Mary University, and served as the community school coordinator at Browning School in MPS. Holschbach graduated summa cum laude from Mount Mary with a bachelor's degree in communication, Spanish and journalism - new media.
Please read about each award winner here. Congratulations, Gianna!